We've had a few different brands of these trimmer things--this one is called a Microtouch Max--and they are only $10 but ours break down after about a hundred uses. The thing about this hair trimmer is that it is painless so I don't have to worry about cutting Dylan as I tidy up the back of his neck or straighten his little sideburns. And this thing works wonders for keeping Sean cleanly shaven on his neck and above his ears and the like.

I'd recommend this tool to anyone, seriously. Sure, it's flimsy, but it seriously works wonders on keeping your family looking as if they just left the barber shop. And they also make them for women for bikini lines and such. Absolutely worth the ten bucks. We buy ours at CVS.

2. Let your kids eat out of cups.

My secret to lazy lunches when I am plumb exhausted: I cook Dylan's lunch--say macaroni and broccoli or cheddar baked potatoes--and then instead of having him sit at the table as I pray very hard that lunchtime will soon be over, I put his meal in a mug or a cup and give him a spoon. He can cuddle up on the couch and watch a movie or something while I'm tending to Kate and the like and he is usually really careful not to spill anything.

3. Dry off your razors.

Sean loves to listen to the Clark Howard radio podcast. Clark Howard is all about giving advice which helps you manage money. One of my favorite simple tips he gives is to dry your disposable razors. The reason consumers go through so many razors is because they rust, and the reason they rust is because they are often left wet after use. So take a towel to your razor after every use and the same disposable razor you would've replaced ten times will last for more than a year before needing replacing. To keep it sterile dip it in rubbing alcohol once in a while. I was shocked when I started drying off my razor and noticing that I almost never have to buy replacements.

4. Use cinnamon instead of pesticides.

Put cinnamon in your sandbox to keep the bugs at bay. Actually, put cinnamon everywhere. I simmer it on the stove often, I put it in our mudroom and vacuum it up, in the bottom of our garbage can, etc etc. But bugs, spiders, and ants don't like cinnamon, so use that instead of harmful chemicals.

5. Take a sip first before swallowing pills.

And my last tip pretty much saved me when I was pregnant. I had a terrible time trying not to gag on my prenatal vitamin. When I had complications with my thyroidectomy and the doctors had me swallowing eight pills in a sitting to raise my critically low calcium levels, I just could not get them down. So in the middle of the night, two nurses came into my room and taught me a little secret. Before swallowing a pill, take a sip of liquid and hold it in your mouth. Then put the pill in your mouth and swallow with another sip. Before they taught me that I always put the pill in my mouth first and then took a sip and it would be so hard to swallow the pill once it stuck to my tongue. I don't know if I'm explaining this right. Take a sip first basically. I went from not being able to swallow one pill at a time to being able to take all five of my nightly pills in one sip.